Apple TV's Football Comedy Hit Ted Lasso Returns After Three-Year Hiatus

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The hit football comedy series Ted Lasso is returning to Apple TV after a three-year hiatus. The show's cast claims they didn't need a warm-up to get back on the pitch. The series, which stars Jason Sudeikis in the title role, shifts the action to Ted's native Kansas, where he has been invited to manage a second-division women's team.

It's a change of pace for the show, but it hasn't affected the cast's chemistry. According to Hannah Waddingham, who plays Rebecca Welton, the formidable owner of AFC Richmond, the show has always felt like a family from the very start. Waddingham joined the cast alongside Jeremy Swift, who plays club executive Leslie Higgins, and Juno Temple, who plays the charismatic model-turned-publicist Keeley Jones.

Swift said the cast 'hit the ground running' when filming resumed. Waddingham added that it felt 'completely and utterly... effortless,' a sentiment shared by the rest of the cast. Temple said it was 'great' to be out of their comfort zone and that the experience was 'such a fun experience for all three of us.'

The focus of the new season will be on the emerging team, the challenges it faces, and the players competing for influence and playing time. Faye Marsay, who plays Lizzie, said the show will 'shine a light on the problems in women's sport and the things that we need to do better.' Marsay explained that the show is not 'shoving anything down anyone's throat' but rather highlights the challenges facing women athletes, including motherhood and equal treatment.

The new season of Ted Lasso will premiere on September 7. Apple TV will release weekly episodes of the show until the season finale.